Council objects to change of use at hotel

Avondale Hotel in Seaford comprises a pair of semi-detached properties which have been joined together

Published:11:38Wednesday 27 December 2017

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Planning permission is being sought at a hotel for change of use to an 18-bedroom House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

The application by Sussex Housing Ltd is for a maximum of 30 residents at Avondale Hotel in Seaford.

The proposed configuration on the ground floor is two dining rooms, a communal kitchen and four self-contained units; on the first floor two single units, four double units with two bathrooms and kitchens at the rear; and on the second floor eight rooms and two bathrooms.

There would be no off-street car parking provision owing to the absence of any accessible open space within the curtilage of the site in Avondale Road.

The application has been revised in relation to a previously refused scheme, including a reduction in the total number of occupants.

Seaford Town Council has objected to the application. It said the need to retain and expand tourist accommodation is identified in the town’s Draft Neighbourhood Plan as a key objective. It was therefore considered that, irrespective of the need for emergency accommodation for the homeless, this change of use could not be supported.

The council also had concerns regarding the overlooking of and loss of privacy to residents of properties at the rear of the hotel and the effect the intensity of the residential use on the amenities of the area.

A report to members of Lewes District Council’s Planning Applications Committee says there are few hotels left in Seaford “but it is clear that the application site is no longer economically viable as a hotel”. The reports says if Avondale Hotel continues in its present role “it will most likely close down and become vacant”.

The committee will discuss the application at its meeting on Wednesday, January 10.